Domesticated farm animals are typically kept in stalls when in doors. To increase animal welfare and to assist in ensuring comfort, it is typical to provide a padded mat such as a rubber mat in the individual animal stall.
A typical cattle stall will be open at a tail end allowing the animal to enter and leave the stall, will have side rails or dividers between adjacent stalls, and will have a head-end rail or barrier defining the closed end at which the animal's head will be positioned when the animal is standing or lying in the stall.
DE 26917690-U1 and WO 99/56529 each disclose a mat for a cattle stall having raised edges around three sides of the mat.
In cattle stalls, a brisket board is often provided at the head end. The purpose of the brisket board is to position the cow correctly when she is lying down. When the board is correctly located, it will prevent the cow lying too far forward which can lead to soiling on the mat.
Installation of brisket boards can however cause a health issue as it allows waste material to build up between the brisket board and underlying mat. It also adds to the complexity of the installation.
Conventional stall designs also can be ineffective if the animal does not position itself correctly when entering the stall and lying down. Due to the preference for stall dividers made using bars or rails, rather than hard-sided enclosed stalls, the possibility arises of an animal being injured by an adjacent animal, due to one or other of them lying with a leg projecting into the adjacent stall.